Mur Wan Ting glanced at him innocently, using a branch to fix his broken limbs, then binding them with cloth strips.
Her eyes grew more playful, the corners of her lips curling slightly.
“You think I was going to do what?”
Shen Xinghe turned his face away, even the back of his neck flushing red.
Shen Xinglan quietly watched their interaction the whole time without saying a word.
He had always thought he was special to her, but after seeing Mur Wan Ting treat Shen Xinghe the same way, he felt… irritated.
Even more so, when she dealt with Shen Xinghe, her expression was more vivid than when she faced him.
Mur Wan Ting tossed out a sentence: “You’ll also rest on the cart for a few days before getting back on your feet.”
She never even looked at Shen Xinglan once, returning to the tree where she slept and closing her eyes to continue sleeping.
Now it was Shen Xinglan and Shen Xinghe who couldn’t sleep.
Shen Xinghe, who usually fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed, kept tossing and turning on the cart.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Mur Wan Ting lifting him effortlessly, and the faint lemon-like scent on her body.
He had also noticed her fair, delicate neck and her small, refined chin.
Even Shen Xinghe, who normally slept very well, couldn’t fall asleep anymore, and Shen Xinglan’s mood became even worse. He glanced at Shen Xinghe with complicated emotions.
“What happened just now?”
Shen Xinghe was startled and quickly turned to look at Shen Xinglan, then felt a bit guilty.
“I… I was beaten by Shen Xudong just now. Mur Wan Ting saved me.”
Shen Xinglan narrowed his eyes. Shen Xudong’s position had originally been arranged by him.
That ungrateful thing actually dared to hit Shen Xinghe.
In the end… it was because he was now crippled.
He fell silent.
“I will definitely help you get revenge in the future.”
Shen Xinghe coughed lightly.
“Mur Wan Ting already helped me get revenge. The second branch didn’t benefit either.”
Shen Xinglan felt complicated.
The once-famous Prince of Western Peace was now relying on a wife he didn’t even like to protect him.
Shen Xinghe still wanted to say that Mur Wan Ting was incredibly strong and could even carry him, but after thinking about it, he held back.
The next morning, there weren’t enough people to push the carts, so Mur Wan Ting’s gaze landed on Shen Xudong.
With such a muscular build, it would be a waste not to have him push carts.
She walked over and patted Shen Xudong’s shoulder.
“You, go push the cart.”
Shen Xudong smelled the scent of honeysuckle and instinctively shrank back.
Hearing Mur Wan Ting’s voice again, his face turned pale instantly; he still remembered the fear of being unable to break free last night.
Intimidated by her, he had no choice but to push the cart.
Zhang Caiyun was furious, grinding her teeth. Her precious son had never been willing to be ordered around by her, yet Mur Wan Ting was using him so naturally.
Shen Xudong had a simple mind; he didn’t think of resisting and just obediently pushed the cart.
Mur Wan Ting was quite satisfied.
So honest and strong—such a waste not to use him as a laborer.
At lunch, Mur Wan Ting “caught” a few wild chickens in the forest again and was lucky enough to find some wild mushrooms, so she made chicken stew with mushrooms.
It tasted amazing, and everyone ate happily.
Shen Xudong kept swallowing saliva from the side.
Mur Wan Ting thought for a moment. They still needed him to push the cart in the afternoon—if she wanted to win over a laborer, she had to first win over his stomach.
After a bowl of chicken stew with mushrooms and boiled potatoes, Shen Xudong told Mur Wan Ting that if there was still good food at night, pushing the cart wouldn’t be impossible.
Mur Wan Ting couldn’t help but laugh.
As for the remaining chicken stew, she didn’t want it stolen again, and she didn’t like leftovers.
She raised her voice: “Wild chicken soup, thirty taels per bowl. If you want it, come buy it.”
Everyone immediately rushed to line up.
Soon, all the remaining soup was sold out.
Shen’s mother felt a little pained: “Such delicious chicken soup… why sell it?”
Mur Wan Ting smiled and blinked.
“It’s fine, Mother. I can still make more, and there’s still chicken and mushrooms in the basket.”
She leaned closer and whispered:
“Right now we need money the most. The officials at the next town will arrange supplies. Only with money can we buy things.”
Upon hearing this, Shen’s mother calmed down.
She immediately felt energized again and took Shen Yu Jiao and Shen Ming Jiao to gather wild vegetables, even placing the children in Shen Xinghe’s arms.
Their efficiency doubled.
Shen’s mother Zhao Lanpei excitedly said: “When we make chicken soup tonight, add these wild vegetables too—it’ll sell for more.”
Mur Wan Ting gave her a thumbs-up.
“When it comes to making money, we still have to rely on you.”
Shen’s mother felt embarrassed from the praise.
“Back when we were in the Shen household, I used to manage business.”
Even while traveling during the day, they gathered wild vegetables whenever they saw them. Mur Wan Ting’s cooking was excellent—everything tasted good when added.
After another night, they earned a full one thousand taels of silver.
One thousand taels wasn’t much for buying official supplies, but in a marketplace, it could buy a lot more.
Ma Da Zhuang saw that Mur Wan Ting was selling chicken soup, and no one was buying their meat soup anymore. He walked over with his sword, speaking coldly.
“Mur lady, you’re making things difficult for the brothers’ work.”
The second branch watched excitedly, thinking she would finally be punished.
Mur Wan Ting smiled sweetly.
“Officer, I’ve thought of a way to make up for it.”
Ma Da Zhuang raised an eyebrow, liking her cooperativeness.
He thought she would hand over the earnings, but she continued:
“Before we reach the market, I can work as your temporary cook. You provide the ingredients, ensure our third branch’s meals, and I’ll take a 10% share of the profits.”
Ma Da Zhuang scoffed.
She even wanted meals and a share?
But looking at her unwavering expression, he knew she wouldn’t back down.
Moreover, her cooking was truly excellent. If she cooked, they would actually benefit more.
This was better than confiscating the money—long-term gain, a win-win situation.
Ma Da Zhuang felt he was already getting the better deal, though he didn’t show it.
“Fine. Come in the afternoon.”
Mur Wan Ting also felt she had struck a good deal—no need to constantly think about extracting food from her space, and she still got good food every day and earned money.
Zhang Caiyun, seeing that Mur Wan Ting wasn’t punished but instead became an official cook with profit sharing, was so angry she snapped a branch in her hand.
How could Mur Wan Ting’s life be so good?